


Regrets

by J_Forever



Series: Secrets Revealed [3]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-11 23:45:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18434606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_Forever/pseuds/J_Forever
Summary: Summary:Curiosity gets the best of Minerva McGonagall.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** _I don’t own Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts or any of their characters._

_Nurmengard_

“Happy birthday,” Grindelwald muttered to himself, standing in front of the Mirror of Erised. Once again, the enchanted mirror was about to show him the most desperate desire of his heart. Grindelwald fought back a sob when he saw Albus Dumbledore in the mirror. He didn’t desire money or power, the blond wizard wanted to love and feel loved.

Grindelwald knew he would never feel this feeling again and now tears streamed down his face. He hated crying, but he couldn’t help it. He never felt so alone in his entire life. 

All his existence was an incredible mistake and there was no coming back for him. 

 

_Hogwarts_  
_Dumbledore’s classroom_

Dumbledore stared at a picture of Grindelwald and felt his heart ache. He still loved his enemy with all his heart and soul. “Happy birthday, my love…” he said, closing his eyes. 

He was so lost in his thoughts that he had not seen Minerva McGonagall cross the classroom. Noticing the surprise in her eyes, he hoped she had not heard him. “Hi, I didn’t see you coming…” he muttered in shame.

Minerva smiled at him. She considered Dumbledore a friend and she was curious to know who was _his love_. “I noticed… So… Who’s she?” 

Dumbledore’s face instantly flushed pink. There was no _she_ in his life. He had a forbidden and tragic love which was doomed from the beginning. _Yes, it was complicated like this._ “Minerva…”

Curiosity got the best of Minerva and she did something Albus wasn’t expecting. “Accio,” she said and the picture came to her hand.

Albus rose from his chair, his face flushing even more. He wondered what excuse he could use so Minerva would believe him. “It’s not what you’re thinking…”

“Grindelwald?” she frowned in confusion. “How… Oh... I… I’m so sorry,” she apologized, placing the picture over Albus’ desk. 

Albus lowered his head. “Now you know my secret,” he took the picture in his hand and stared at it. “There’s no _she_ … There’s only him… and it hurt,” he confessed.

Minerva cleared her throat. “I had no idea… Oh, Albus,” she stared at him and sighed. 

“A bit shocking, huh?” Dumbledore faked a smile. “The great and brilliant wizard Albus Dumbledore loves the evil Gellert Grindelwald… Albus Dumbledore, the perfect idiot…”

“You’re not an idiot,” Minerva said softly. She felt incredibly guilty right now. _Why did she have to be so curious?_

“Yes, I am… Because despite of everything he has done to me, I’m here staring at his picture, wondering how he’s feeling today, wondering if he’s feeling lonely or scared in that castle…” Dumbledore sighed heavily. “But a side of me wants to hurt him so bad… I sent the Mirror of Erised to Nurmengard,” he confessed. 

“What?” Minerva didn’t understand. _Why would Albus send the mirror to Nurmengard?_

“I sent the mirror to Nurmengard, because I wanted to hurt Grindelwald… The mirror will always show him what he can’t have!” he said, with a strain of bitterness in his voice. _Oh, he wanted to torture Gellert, as much as he wanted to have him in his arms one more time. He couldn’t deny it._ “He wants power, but he can’t have it! Not anymore!”

Minerva rubbed the back of her neck. “Are you sure?” 

“What?” Dumbledore frowned. 

“Are you sure the mirror will show this to him?” Minerva asked. 

“What else the mirror would show him, Minerva?” Dumbledore asked, with a shake of head. _Obviously he was sure. Grindelwald only cared about power. Of course the mirror would show him ruling the world or something like this._

“Who knows?” Minerva smiled. “Maybe you should see him…” 

Albus swallowed hard. _No, he couldn’t see him, he couldn’t. No after everything that happened._ “I can’t… I…” 

“Why not?” Minerva asked softly. “I was hearing you talk about him and I felt so much pain in your words. It’s like you felt both, love and hate. I think you need closure… I think you should go to Nurmengard and see him." 

Albus breathed heavily. Minerva was right, he needed closure. He needed to find Gellert and talk to him one last time. He needed to come to terms with the fact that he would never have Gellert in his arms again. 

_He needed to go to Nurmengard._


	2. Chapter 2

_Albus breathed heavily. Minerva was right, he needed closure. He needed to find Gellert and talk to him one last time. He needed to come to terms with the fact that they would never be together again._

_He needed to go to Nurmengard._

 

_Nurmengard_

Like a dead man, Grindelwald stared at the Mirror of Erised. He still saw Dumbledore looking straight at him, with his beautiful and captivating eyes which held him prisoner. The wizard couldn’t fight back his sobs anymore. He did everything wrong. 

_Once in his life he had what he really desired._

_Love._

_But he threw it away._

He was so lost in his thoughts and regrets that he didn’t hear the door of his bedroom being open. 

Albus walked into the bedroom slowly and carefully. He stopped and looked at his former lover in sadness. Gellert was standing in front of the mirror, his eyes full of tears. The British wizard sighed heavily. He was the one who sent the mirror to Nurmengard. He wanted to hurt Gellert, to make him suffer. But staring at him, seeing the pain and sadness in his pale face, Albus felt his heart breaking in a million of pieces. He didn’t know what the mirror was showing and he honestly didn’t care. All he wanted now was to take Gellert in his arms.

“Happy birthday, Gellert,” Albus’ voice filled the air and Gellert’s entire body instantly tensed up. The dark wizard looked at the mirror and now he saw two images of Albus. One was the illusion, but the other…

Gellert cleared his throat and closed his eyes. _No, it couldn’t be real. It was another illusion._ Was his mind playing games with him now? Or it was just the mirror driving him insane? “You’re not real…” he muttered.

Albus cleared his throat. Gellert seemed to be in deep pain and sorrow. _He was alone too long,_ he thought. “I’m real,” he said softly, encircling Gellert’s waist.

Gellert finally opened his eyes and turned his head slowly, very slowly. “You’re here…” he stared almost enchanted at Albus. “Not an illusion of the mirror…”

Albus swallowed hard, understand the meaning behind Gellert’s words. Gellert saw him in the mirror. “I’m not an illusion,” Albus assured him, a slight smile forming in his lips. 

Gellert frowned in confusion. Why would Albus go to Nurmengard to pay him a visit? _Oh, Albus was there to see by himself how broke he was._ “What are you doing here, Albus?” he asked, clearing his throat.

“I’m here to see you. I was worried about you…” Albus quietly confessed.

“Worried?” Gellert asked suspiciously, wiping his tears with his sleeve. 

Albus nodded. “Yes, worried. You’re confined in this castle… Alone… This must be hard for you,” he muttered. 

“I’m okay… It could be worse,” Gellert said, trying to compose himself. Albus just caught him in a moment of fragility and he hated it. “After everything I did, they should remove my soul…”

Albus looked at him in awe. _Did Gellert finally understand that he was wrong?_ “So you finally understand that everything you did was wrong?” he asked.

Gellert lowered his head. _Yes, he did. But it was hard to admit._ “I had… have… a lot of time to think…”

Albus nodded. “I see… I’m glad to know that you’re thinking about what you did all those years, Gellert. It’s a good thing…”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t change a thing,” Gellert sighed heavily. In his confinement, he had time to think about his life. He did some unspeakable things, everything for _the greater good._. All he believed was a lie. The realization hurt him deeply. No matter how sorry he was, he couldn’t change the past. 

Albus caressed Gellert’s face. He looked into his eyes and saw sadness and regret. But it wasn’t a bad thing in Albus’ opinion; it was in truth an improvement. “You changed and it matters to me…”

Gellert looked at him utterly confused. “You talk like you still care about me, Dumbledore,” he murmured. He feared Albus was only playing games with his heart. He knew Albus was the one who sent the mirror to Nurmengard. 

“Because I do, Gellert,” Albus sighed heavily. “I give my heart to you and… You just betrayed me. You hurt me and I need to confess… I really wanted to hurt you, exactly like you hurt me… Then I sent this mirror to you… Because I wanted to make you suffer…”

“Oh…” Gellert swallowed hard. He knew that Albus sent the mirror to him and why, but hearing it from his lips really hurt him. “Well, mission accomplished,” he said. “I look at this mirror and see what I can’t have… It shows me how miserable I am… Satisfied?”

Albus shook his head. “No, I’m not… Gellert, I’m not… I’m not lying… I care about you, you’re still in my heart and I’m still in yours…”

“I don’t understand…” Gellert instinctively stepped back. 

“You saw me in the mirror,” Albus said quietly. “Because, despite everything, I’m still in your heart….” 

Gellert remained silent. He always knew what to say, but this time the words failed him. He still loved Albus, but they couldn’t be together. 

“Do you know what I see everytime I stand in front of this mirror?” Albus asked softly.

Gellert shrugged. _Certainly not me._ “I have no idea…”

Albus smiled slightly and stroked Gellert’s face. _It was truth time_. “You,” he quietly confessed. “I always see you…”

“Liar…” Grindelwald muttered, stepping back. “Why would you see me in this mirror? I’m nothing!”

Albus shook his head. “Don’t say that… I saw you in this mirror because I still love you…” he said. “I thought I could forget you, but I just can’t…” he took Gellert by the waist and kissed him softly. “You asked me why I’m here… Well, I’m here to wish you a happy birthday, Gellert.” 

Gellert found himself returning the kiss, his arms almost instinctively pulling Albus close to him. “I love you,” he whispered. “I’m sorry for being so stupid. I think I ruined everything…”

Albus cupped Gellert’s face in his hands and kissed him again. “We’ll find a way to be together…”

“How?” Gellert looked at him hopelessly. 

“Well, I’m here now, I can do it again,” Albus breathed heavily. He gazed at him, his eyes full of love. He pushed Gellert against his body and kissed him again. “If you want, we can start all over again…”

Gellert swallowed hard. He wanted to… What he saw in the mirror was the proof of it. But it wasn’t fair to Albus. Gellert was a prisoner, he would never leave Nurmengard. But Albus was a free man, he was a good wizard. “I don’t want to ruin your life, Albus… If _they_ find about us…”

“I don’t care, but I need to know if you really want to…” Albus said firmly. 

“You’re crazy,” Gellert said in awe.

“Maybe,” Albus said, kissing him again. “I love you… Love is not the problem here.”

“Love you too, Albus Dumbledore,” Gellert said and kissed him back. "Let's try it again..."

 

_The end_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments and kudos!  
> I'm glad you like this story :)


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